A Fizzy Italian Kosher Malvasia
Fizzy and sweet...Borgo Reale Malvasia
Many North American Kosher wines are sweet reds, often made from the Concord grape. I grow Concord grapes and enjoy nibbling on them once in a while. But I HATE Concord wines. Today’s offering is another sweet red, Kosher wine. It comes from the Malvasia grape. There are lots and lots of Malvasia subvarieties, some are red and some are white. The Malvasia family is moderately popular in Italy, in fact you can even get a Champagnino (do you need a translation?) made from this pedestrian grape. The Borgo Reale winery is located in the great wine region of Piedmont, but these grapes come from not-so-prestigious Apulia at the other end of the country. They claim state of the art equipment and ISO certification. This wine is fizzy. The companion wine is a much more inexpensive dry wine made in the same region from the Primitivo grape, Zinfandel’s Italian cousin.
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Wine Reviewed
Borgo Reale Malvasia Indicazione Geografica Tipica 2008 6.5 % alcohol about $15.
There were no marketing materials so let’s start by quoting the back label. “Borgo Reale Malvasia is made up of carefully selected grapes grown in the Apulia region of southern Italy. This light red fizzy aromatic wine shows pleasant notes of strawberry, raspberry, and hints of ripe cherry. Thanks to its crisp acidity, soft mouth, and red fruit lingering aftertaste, it is the perfect wine served as an aperitif, with cheeses and light entries. Best served chilled.” And now for my review.
At the first sips this wine seemed to be a sweet soda pop. My initial meal centered on a spicy homemade roasted chicken leg. Now the liquid’s acidity perked up. It was pleasant and fruity. When it encountered the side dish of leeks sautéed in olive oil its acidity crawled back into the shell. I asked myself, “Is this wine?” In the face of fruit juice candy there was no pretense of wine. It would be a kiddie’s drink except for the 6.5% alcohol. I repeat, do not serve this liquid to children.
The next meal consisted of slow cooked beef ribs and potatoes. In response to the meat this libation darkened. But in the face of the accompanying potatoes it lightened. As I consumed it with green beans in tomato sauce one thought was dominant – it’s not wine. However, this liquid did lengthen when I doused the meat with Louisiana hot sauce.
My final meal was a box of Baked Ziti Siciliano that I covered with grated Parmesan cheese. The Malvasia responded with good acidity but it was too sweet. Ice cream and wine tends not to be a marriage made in heaven. Häagen-Dazs Rocky Road (chocolate with roasted almonds and marshmallow swirls) gave this drink a trace of pleasant acidity, but frankly, the ice cream was better off without it.
Final verdict. I will not buy this wine again. Ever. Even if it had a reasonable price. (Such as a bottle of soda pop.)
Access the companion wine A Wine Lover's Weekly Review Of $10 Wine - An Apulia, Italy PrimitivoAbout the Author
Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but to be honest, he would
rather just drink fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario
French-language community college. His wine websites include
www.theworldwidewine.com
and http://www.wineinyourdiet.com
Visit his website devoted to Italian travel
www.travelitalytravel.com
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